Nokia brings back its classic 3310 model after 17 years

The Nokia 3310 has long been considered one of the world's greatest phones, and much to the delight of old school mobile users, the device made a comeback at Mobile World Congress (MWC) in Barcelona this week.

Expected to carry a €50 (£42, $52) price tag when it hits stores later this year, the new and improved handset now sports a colour screen, rather than the monochrome display of old. Saying that, it still looks to please those that prefer the simple life - reminiscent of a time without the likes of disappearing selfie videos, emojis and augmented reality filters.

I got to play around with the nostalgic Nokia phone at the show. Here are my first impressions.

Design

The funny thing about the 2017 version of the Nokia 3310 is that you find yourself liking the things that you'd usually hate in more modern smartphone offerings. I mean, it wouldn't feel like the 3310 if it wasn't made of a nice and cheap-feeling plastic, so I was oddly pleased with how bargain-basement the build quality is.

In this instance, you kind of want the 3310's design to feel cheap and cheerful, mainly to ensure it distances itself as far away as possible from the modern flagship handsets of today. And that it does. It's cumbersome, tawdry and every button press reminds you just how cheap the phone really is.

The 3310 also comes in some seriously bright neon-esque colours, which make the whole user experience even more tacky, but fun, too. All-in-all, it feels great in the hand. Light, smart and simple.

Display

Nokia new 3310 phone builds on the original 1.5-inch monochrome display with a 2.4in 240 x 320 resolution screen, which is quite an upgrade, considering.

As you'd expect, it's on no par to modern standards but that's the beauty of it. This phone is all about getting as far away from the polished 1080p screens that we've come to take for granted. And it still does the job. It's bright, clean, and as pixelated as any early-2000 phone was, and it's this that makes you want one.